S2E9: The Fury of the Night
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: ***SEQUEL TO "CROSS MY WINGS AND HOPE TO FLY PART 2"*** Hiccup and Toothless find a dragon egg on an undocumented island, and when it hatches, complications arise and Dagur seeks to take the hatchling for himself.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: RACE TO THE EDGE SPOILERS!**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 **...**

 ***spins around in black chair stroking laptop***

 **Hello, readers. I've been expecting you.**

 ***flips open laptop* NEW STORY. WHOOP WHOOP! WHY THE HECK AM I...GUYS...I CAN'T STOP UPDATING HELP ME. Oh, and I'm on spring break right now too, which is really nice, which means I'll have a lot more time to write...and YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I HAVE A LOT MORE TIME TO WRITE. UPDATES GALORE. HAHAHAHAHAHAHA help me**

 **BUT ANYWAYS I HOPE YOU AWESOME PEOPLE ENJOY THE FIRST CHAPTER OF "THE FURY OF THE NIGHT"! :D :D :D I LOVE YOU GUYS! ENJOY! :D**

* * *

The dragon riders had ransacked their own Clubhouse - and not for the first time. A chest in the corner was overturned on its side, its contents sprawled out on the floor. The dragon riders dug through buckets and barrels of supplies; Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked under a pebble; Snotlout slipped on a poorly placed spyglass, smacked his hip against the corner of the table, and limped away moaning as if he had been stabbed; Fishlegs, standing on a stool, looked through the shelves; Astrid pushed over a barrel and dug through it; Hiccup dug through a box on the table.

"It's gotta be around here somewhere!" Hiccup said, slamming the lid of the box down in defeat. "We didn't go anywhere with it, did we?"

"Who knew we had so much _stuff?"_ asked Tuffnut, gesturing to the large piles of miscellaneous objects on the floor. Tuffnut grabbed a long cylinder off the floor and raised it to his eye. "Whoa," he said in awe. "This tube...is like a spyglass...except it doesn't zoom in on anything, it sort of just...stays the same as it always is…"

He turned his head. "This is amazing!" he said, grinning. "Hey, Hiccup! Can I keep this?"

"Come on, guys!" Hiccup groaned. "We can organize all this stuff later! Can't we just find it _before_ we go through everything else?"

"I don't know, H.," said Tuffnut, looking down at the tube with respect. "This is one sick tube. It demands my unhindered, immediate attention!"

"Yeah, okay, whatever," said Hiccup, "just, go somewhere else and mess with it, please? Let the rest of us finish up."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at each other, down at the tube again, and then back at each other. They didn't leave; they took turns looking through the tube and staring at objects all around the room.

"Hey, I can see Fishlegs from here!" said Tuffnut. Fishlegs crossed his arms and shook his head. "And he is looking pretty mad at me…"

"Knock it off, you two!" said Fishlegs.

Hiccup sighed heavily, putting his hands against the table. "Are you guys _sure_ none of you took it with you anywhere?" he asked for the utmost time.

"I know I didn't," said Fishlegs.

"And what would I want with a Dragon Eye lense?" said Snotlout, offended. "They were lame before we got the Dragon Eye back."

"And we don't want it!" Ruffnut insisted. "We wouldn't touch something that wasn't ours! We have something called _respect!"_

"Yeah, totally!" Tuffnut said, still indulged in the tube. "Hey, sis, this tube is amazing! Here, you look in it again…"

"Wait, I found it!" Astrid called, leaping off the stool she had been standing on, holding her prize up for the rest of them to see.

"Bork's Dragon Eye lense!" said Fishlegs excitedly, hurrying forward to take it from her. "You found it!"

"It was on the twins' shelf," said Astrid, gesturing to said shelf behind her. "Go figure."

All eyes turned to Ruffnut and Tuffnut, who shrugged in unison. "Hey, it's not like we weren't going to tell you eventually!" Ruffnut said.

"Yeah!" said Tuffnut. "Wait, you mean we weren't not going to tell them?"

"Come on, I can't wait to see where this leads to!" said Fishlegs happily, and he raced over to where the Dragon Eye was placed. Fishlegs slipped the lense into one of the slots and beckoned Meatlug over.

"Come on, Meatlug," he said. "Let's see what Bork wanted to show us."

Meatlug growled her agreement and breathed her hot-as-lava breath against the Dragon Eye. For a moment, the projector flickered, but then, quite pathetically, it went out.

Fishlegs looked confused. "Huh," he said, taking up the Dragon Eye and fiddling with the lense.

"What's the matter, Fishlegs?" said Snotlout. "Did you break it?"

"I didn't break it!" said Fishlegs. "Meatlug's lava didn't work on it."

"Really?" said Astrid. "Meatlug's lava works on just about every lense we've tried so far. Are you sure you have it in all the way?"

"I am quite sure I have it in all the way," said Fishlegs. "Maybe we need a certain dragon fire to access this lense."

"Aha!" Snotlout said suddenly, triumphantly. "And I have just the dragon for the job!" He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled; Hookfang came barrelling through the front doors of the Clubhouse, his tail lit on fire. "Come on, Fangster!" said Snotlout. "Time to do your thing!"

Hookfang breathed in proudly and shot fire into the air, just in front of the Dragon Eye. But just like before, it spluttered and went out.

"Huh," said Fishlegs. "Seems like Hookfang was _not_ just the dragon for the job."

Snotlout jabbed his thumb over his shoulder at Hookfang. "Dragon's fault," he blamed, and Hookfang growled dangerously.

"It's not Hookfang's fault, Snotlout," said Hiccup, "it's the lense. Let's try something else...Ruffnut, Tuffnut, what about Zippleback fire?"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut brightened. Their jaws dropped. Tuffnut released his hold on the tube.

"Um, Hiccup," said Fishlegs, raising his finger, "I'm pretty sure the twins should have been a last resort-"

"BARF, BELCH! Ruffnut and Tuffnut shouted in unison, leaping to their feet and pointing frantically at the space just in front of the Dragon Eye. "ANNIHILATE THE THING!"

"Yeah, I think you're right, Fishlegs-" Hiccup said, but he didn't get to finish. "DUCK!" he shouted, and he and the other riders dove beneath the round table, hands over their heads.

There was a loud explosion, and smoke filled the Clubhouse. Fishlegs grabbed the nearest book and began fanning it away; Snotlout, coughing, used his helmet to do the same.

When the smoke finally cleared, Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked at them sheepishly. The Dragon Eye sat on the table; the projector shuddered weakly and went out. The Zippleback fire hadn't worked, either.

But there _was_ a rather large hole in the floor of the Clubhouse from the explosion, which Ruffnut and Tuffnut winced at.

"Ooh…" grimaced Ruffnut. "Not good, not good…"

"On the bright side, Hiccup," said Tuffnut, raising his finger, "it _is_ sort of an improvement…"

Hiccup crossed his arms.

"Ugh, fine!" said Tuffnut. "We'll go get the wood and nails! Geez, does _everything_ have to be perfect for you guys…?"

And, grabbing his tube off the ground as he went, Tuffnut headed out of the Clubhouse, Ruffnut walking behind in his wake. Barf and Belch turned and followed their riders, flicking the doors shut with their tails.

"That," said Fishlegs, still fanning the air, "could have gone a _lot_ worse."

"Yeah, but let's make sure it doesn't happen again," said Hiccup. "Okay, Toothless, let's say we try your fire, and then we'll have Stormfly try if it doesn't work, alright?"

Toothless growled his agreement and stepped forward, standing just behind the large hole in the floor. He sucked in a deep breath and fired a small plasma blast.

The Dragon Eye's projector instantly sprang to life, a large screen projected onto the opposite wall. The light that shined from it was a deep purple with tinges of pink tickling the edges.

"Whoa," said Fishlegs. "This...this is amazing!"

In the center of the large map was runes; Hiccup quickly deciphered their meaning and said, "Strike Class," for the rest of the riders to hear. "This must be a document of all the dragons in the Strike Class."

"I've never seen so many Strike Class dragons before!" gasped Fishlegs excitedly. "Most of them are extinct, or endangered! We have the Snow Wraiths, the Skrill, and, well, the Night Fury!"

"I always thought it was weird that the Strike Class dragons have most of the endangered species," said Astrid. "I mean, the Strike Class is built of the most powerful dragons. They all have blazing speed, extreme intelligence, outstanding accuracy...I wonder how they all died out."

"Dragon hunters," Hiccup said darkly. "People like Viggo and Ryker, who kill dragons for a living. I bet that's one of the biggest reasons we don't see more Strike Class dragons out in the open."

"Well," said Fishlegs, "that's a good point, but it could have been shifting in the environments, too."

"So what does this mean for us?" said Snotlout flatly, crossing his arms. "We have a list of all the extinct and endangered Strike Class dragons. Now what?"

"It's not just a _list_ , Snotlout," said Fishlegs, and he sounded offended. "It's a _map,_ and each map leads to the place each of these dragons was last seen."

"Strange," said Hiccup, "I don't see the Night Fury on this map at all."

"That's because Night Furies are the most secretive," said Fishlegs. "Bork probably never even saw a Night Fury up close in his lifetime. The only information we ever had on the Night Fury in the Book of Dragons was that if you saw one, you were dead."

"What about this one?" Astrid asked, raising her hand towards the map. "There's no name here, just a map."

"Weird," said Hiccup.

"Oh no," said Snotlout, and he sounded panicked. "Oh no, oh no…"

"What _is it,_ Snotlout?" Astrid demanded.

"I know what you guys are thinking!" Snotlout said. "The minute anything is weird, that's when we fly over and check it out and normally end up either running for our lives or captured by homicidal _dragon hunters!_ No thank you! I, personally, would like to live long enough to see my next sunrise!"

"We've survived so far," said Hiccup.

"That," seethed Snotlout, " _is not the point!"_

"So, what would _you_ suggest we do, Snotlout?" said Astrid with a frown, putting a hand on her hip. "Should we go revisit the Skrill's home island instead? I'm sure they'll be glad to see us."

"Listen," said Snotlout, "it's not that I don't like you, or that I think you're crazy, but you _are_ crazy, so it's not just a thought!"

"How do you know we'll end up doomed, Snotlout?" Hiccup asked, becoming thoroughly annoyed very quickly.

"I have a sixth sense!" Snotlout insisted. "This sense tells me things no one else can hear, it sees me through every situation, guides and directs my every step."

For emphasis, Snotlout took a step forward - and fell straight through the hole Ruffnut and Tuffnut had created earlier. He screamed briefly, and Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Astrid leaned over the side of the hole. Snotlout had caught onto a long branch jutting out from the side of the cliff beneath the Clubhouse.

"Ah," said Astrid, nodding, "I get it. Sixth sense! How I wish I had one!"

"Haha, very funny!" snapped Snotlout angrily. "Now would you stop wallowing in your victory get me out of here!? Hookfang!"

Hookfang didn't even make a move to save his rider. He looked over the hole, grinned at Snotlout, and turned away again. Snotlout stared up through the hole, jaw dropped.

"I know that face, Hookfang!" Snotlout shouted angrily. "Get your lazy tail over here and get me out of here!"

Hookfang snorted.

"HOOKFANG!"

"Should we help him out?" said Fishlegs.

"GUYS, I THINK THERE ARE SPIDERS DOWN HERE. GUYS!"

"Let me think about it…" said Astrid, tapping her chin.

"GUYS, SPIDERS! AHHHHHHHHH!"

"Yeah, we should probably get him out," said Hiccup. "We're coming, Snotlout!"

"SPIDER CRAWLING UP MY LEG! SOMEONE DO SOMETHING! HELP ME! AHHHH!"

"Fishlegs, draw out a copy of that map for me," Hiccup said, pointing to the map without the name of a dragon over it.

"Sure thing!" said Fishlegs, already taking a piece of paper and beginning to copy it down. "I'll set a course for the island, and we can leave as soon as you're ready!"

"Perfect," said Hiccup. "Come on, Toothless, let's go get Snotlout."

" _SPIDERS!"_

"WE'RE COMING, SNOTLOUT!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Second update today! :D Yay! :D I hope you all enjoy this! :D NINETEEN REVIEWS LAST CHAPTER OH MY GOSH THAT TOTALLY MADE MY DAY I LOVE YOU ALL I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! :D :D :D :D :D Shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit020: There'll be some Hiccstrid in here, I reckon. :)**

 **Forever Me: Thanks! :D Yeah, Snotlout should have been left in there longer, but Hiccup would never tolerate that. XD**

 **Dimentional Phaser: Haha, yeah. Snotlout, brought down by the measely spider. :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Hahaha, yeah, between Snotlout and the twins, hilarity will always ensure. :D**

 **Animals Rule: Thanks! :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Thanks! :D Just hang in there, spring break will come for you soon. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **wikelia: Hahahaha, thanks! I'm glad to hear I'm keeping the characters in character! :D Snotlout is hilarious when he wants to be. We all love it when he's in danger. XD Lol! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: That he did, that he did. XD Thanks! :D**

 **Lexi13930: Hahaha, yeah, I would've left Snotlout down there a LOT longer. But yes, Hiccup wouldn't have done that to hus cousin, unfortunately. :/ Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Awesome! Thanks! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Awwww, no, you are! :D**

 **Angel Azul: Haha, thanks! :D Yeah, everyone can predict I'll update earlier than expected now. It's kinda funny. XD I'm glad you're enjoying it! Yeeessssss...XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **bananablight: Haha, aww, thanks! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Thanks! I had fun writing that Snotlout scene. :D**

 **HappyPup1: GET SNOTLOUT, SPIDERS! :D Hahaha, that'd be so awesome! :D**

 **Guest (#2): We'll have to wait and see what the dragon is! :D**

 **Charr2003: Hahahahahahahahaha! :D Well, I'm glad you enjoyed that last story, too! :D Yeah, Peter Pan reference...totally unintentional, but it happened anyway! :D HICCSTRID FOR THE WIN, YESSSSSSSS. :D :D :D :D :D LOL! :D Wow, I have you anticipating updates every ten minutes...LOL! :D Thanks for the review! :D Hold on until Friday! XD**

 **Martyn: I already have the story planned out. We'll just have to see what happens. ;)**

 **RubyTheSkyWing: ATTACK SNOTLOUT, AWESOME SPIDERS! ATTACK HIM! XD Yeah, I know what you mean. I think if Snotlout chilled out and just accepted the fact that Hiccup and Astrid are together, I'd like his character a lot more. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

* * *

Viggo strode down the tunnels, towards the cage of the two people he hated. He stopped directly in front of it, a torch held in his hand lighting his way.

Heather and Dagur looked up at Viggo and surged forward, hands finding the bards and holding them tightly.

"If you want to interrogate me again, Viggo," Heather hissed, "you're wasting your time. I'm not going to tell you anything I know about the dragon riders."

"I have not come to talk to _you_ , Heather," Viggo said with a cold, dangerous edge to his voice that could only mean hatred. "I came to discuss something with your dear brother."

He turned his entire focus onto Dagur and narrowed his eyes.

"I need your help with something," said Viggo.

"With _what?"_ said Dagur coldly.

"The dragon riders, at the moment, believe that you and I are in allegiance," said Viggo. "They saw your Berserker ships moored at our docks; I am certain they did. Which means that should we attack, they will be prepared to fight both us, and your Berserkers."

"So what do you want to do?" said Dagur.

Viggo sighed. "Dagur," he said, "the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Can't you understand that? Could we be at peace, for a time, at least?"

Dagur looked down, up at Viggo, and then at Heather. "For a time, I guess," he muttered.

"Dagur!" Heather hissed, but Dagur ignored her this time.

"Good!" said Viggo, smiling. "Then you will have no problem doing what I ask."

"What do you ask?" said Dagur.

"I need your help with something, Dagur…" said Viggo, folding his hands. "We will create the falsehood that you and your Berserkers are no longer working with us. That way, when we strike, your Berserkers will be our element of surprise."

"The element of surprise?" repeated Dagur, and he smiled. "I like it," he said.

"I knew you would," said Viggo, smiling. "And you can rest assured that your sister will be in safe hands here."

"Good," said Dagur, "because if she isn't, you can call our peace off forever, Viggo."

"And that is something I will not risk," said Viggo. "You will take a team of Berserkers with you and lay siege on the Dragon's Edge. Make them believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are no longer in league with us."

"Sounds great," said Dagur. "I get to attack the Edge, _and_ trick the dragon riders. And...well, let's say I have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to...well... _kill_ Hiccup…"

Heather whirled around in start, staring at her brother as if he had sprouted horns.

Viggo smiled cruelly. "If the occasion is right," he said, "and if you have the opportunity, do not hesitate. That boy is a thorn in my side."

" _Dagur!"_ shouted Heather.

"I do have one term, Dagur," said Viggo, putting up his finger. "Just one thing."

"Name it," said Dagur.

"You are not to mention your dear sister to the dragon riders," said Viggo. "If they learn of her whereabouts, they will not hesitate to come after her, and I would like some more time to plan before we strike."

"Agreed," said Dagur, grinning widely. "So, if you _can_ plan longer, does that mean-"

"It means the dragon riders will not stand a chance," said Viggo, smiling. He pulled his keying from his belt and unlocked the door; Dagur stepped out, and Viggo slammed it on Heather's face.

"Dagur, don't do this!" Heather shouted. "You don't have to do this, brother!"

"No, I don't have to," said Dagur, and he looked back at her over his shoulder. "I _want_ to," he said, and his haunting, maniacal laugh followed him and Viggo all the way up the tunnel, echoing in Heather's ears.

…

The dragons soared over the open ocean, riders mounted on their backs accordingly. Hiccup and Toothless led the rest of the group, who fanned out in their trademark V-formation behind them.

"And let's say whatever unknown Strike Class dragons we find try and kill us?" asked Snotlout, scratching one of the spider bites on his leg, which he had received earlier after falling through the floor of the Clubhouse.

"Well, obviously, we'll retreat," said Fishlegs pointedly.

"Um, right," said Snotlout, "but what happens if they kill us _before_ we can retreat? It's kind of hard to run away when you're dead."

"We haven't had a problem with that before," said Tuffnut, his tube held up to his eye. "All I see is ocean...yep, we're not coming up on anything yet…"

Astrid, who was looking through her spyglass, thought differently. "There it is!" she called, lowering her spyglass and pointing. "To the west, I see an island!"

She tossed the spyglass to Hiccup, who caught it and looked through it; he could make out the outline of a large island in the distance. "Perfect!" he said, throwing the spyglass back to Astrid. "Good eye, Astrid! Fishlegs, is that the right island?"

Fishlegs looked over his map, looked through his spyglass, and then back down on the map. He nodded feverishly. "Yes!" he called. "This is it! According to Bork's notebook, the island is called Arrow's Crevice."

"Oh!" said Snotlout, slightly hysterically. "Great, great great great great great! That isn't ominous at all, is it?"

"Feel free to turn back any time you like, Snotlout!" said Astrid. "We're not interested in your complaining!"

Snotlout crossed his arms, but didn't make any move to leave. They continued on, and as they did, the small black speck of an island soon became a tall, towering shape of Arrow's Crevice. A gigantic, finely pointed mountain-sized boulder sat in the center of the island, pointed like the head of a spear. On the ground below, smaller boulders with the same pointed, jagged, arrowhead looks to them protruded from the ground.

The sand was black as if charred. The smell of smoke hung in the air.

"Okay!" said Snotlout. "Definitely ominous!"

"It's beautiful!" gawped Tuffnut, putting his hands on his cheeks. "I want it! Who owns this place, anyways? I'll give up my half of the Zippleback for it!"

Belch looked about ready to give up his half of the twins for it, judging by the maniacal look in his eyes as he looked at the island below.

"But remember, guys!" called Fishlegs warningly. "We don't want to try and claim the island for ourselves! Who knows what kind of Strike Class dragons live here...it could be full of Skrills-"

"What about Snow Wraiths?" said Tuffnut. " _Those_ guys are cool."

"No, it's too warm out here for the Snow Wraiths to survive," said Astrid. "Snow Wraiths live in the far North, where it's colder."

"Okay, but it could still be a Skrill!" said Snotlout.

"I don't think it's a Skrill, Snotlout," said Fishlegs. "The Skrill's defense is lightning. But the burn marks on the ground were clearly made by something else."

"Fire?" Hiccup offered.

"I don't know," said Fishlegs. "They look like explosions. Small explosions-"

"Great-"

"Snotlout!" Astrid snapped.

Snotlout stopped complaining, but his arms remained crossed. "We came, and we saw," he said. "What else do you guys want to see? I say we go back to the Edge! My bites are killing me!"

"Let's take a vote," said Hiccup. "All in favor of Snotlout, raise your hand."

No hands were raised.

"Okay!" said Hiccup. "Now, all in favor of Arrow's Crevice, raise your hand!"

All hands, including Hiccup's, shot into the air. Snotlout coughed, but it sounded suspiciously like, "Back-stabbers."

"Toothless is a Strike Class dragon," said Hiccup. "He and I will go down first and make sure the area is clear. The rest of you, wait up here. Have your dragons send up a signal if you see anything."

"Got it!" said Astrid.

"Let's go, bud," Hiccup said to Toothless, and Toothless instantly soared towards the charred grounds below, the other riders staying behind.

"If he dies," said Snotlout, "I _so_ call dibs on his hut at the Edge."

Toothless landed silently on the ground below, and Hiccup dismounted, equally silent. He pulled his Gronckle Iron shield from his back and held it before him; who _knew_ what kind of dragons could be lurking in the shadows?

He waited for a moment, listening silently. "All clear, Toothless," he said finally. "Careful, though…"

He and Toothless headed forward. The jagged rocks around them cast large shadows, and they were harder to weave through than the trees of a thick forest. Hiccup looked down at the charred sand; bits of sparkling glass decorated the ground.

"Whatever made these scorch marks," said Hiccup, "their fire must have been scorching hot."

Toothless growled his agreement, and the two continued on slowly, wary of their surroundings. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of walking through nothing but jagged rocks, they came to a large clearing.

In the center of the clearing was a small, black rock about as big as Hiccup's head, perfectly round around the edges, creating a perfect oval. Speckles of blue and purple decorated the outside of the rock, and it was then Hiccup realized it wasn't a rock at all.

It was a dragon egg.

"What in the name of…" Hiccup started, walking forward with Toothless hot on his toes. Hiccup looked down at the dragon egg, and then around them.

There were no other dragons to be seen anywhere, and even if there had been, no dragon would leave their egg alone, especially in a clearing like this. No dragon that Hiccup was aware of, anyways.

"This is weird…" Hiccup finally said, scratching the back of his neck. "What are we supposed to do now?"

Toothless sniffed the egg and growled uncertainly. He didn't know what to do any better than Hiccup did.

Hiccup looked around. Still no sign of dragons. "Maybe it's nothing," he said. "I'm sure its parents will be back soon. Nothing to worry about."

He was wrong.

He usually was.

From nowhere came an almost silent sound that Hiccup had heard only once before, and the sound made him both extremely furious, wildly frustrated, and mildly panicked.

It was the call of the Death Song.

And no sooner than he heard it, the Death Song leapt from behind a large boulder, butterfly-like wings risen and back straightened to bring it to its full height. Honestly, it did _look_ pretty intimidating.

Hiccup knew one thing: Death Songs were cannibals. Which wasn't good. But add that to the fact that the parents of the egg had mysteriously "vanished", and the Death Song was returning to this exact spot…

That told Hiccup all he had to know.

The dragon in the egg's parents were dead. They had to be, or else they wouldn't have left the egg alone.

That settled his decision.

"Okay, Toothless, we're leaving," Hiccup said, as Toothless snarled at the Death Song. The Death Song, used to having its prey immediately lured into their lethal melody, reeled back briefly in confusion.

But then, it sucked in a deep breath-

Hiccup barely managed to grab the egg out of the black sand and dodge with Toothless before the Death Song's amber shot from its throat and engulfed the boulder behind Hiccup.

The Death Song screeched in fury, and Hiccup, not knowing what else to do, tucked away the egg in Toothless' saddlebag and swung his leg over Toothless' back.

"Let's go, let's go, let's go!" Hiccup chanted, somewhat frantically, and Toothless spread his wings, crouched down, and launched into the sky, barely avoiding the Death Song's snapping jaws.

They met up with the rest of the riders in the air.

"Hiccup!" said Snotlout. "Did you die?"

"Everyone, double back around!" Hiccup ordered. "Death Song! Not good!"

"Death Song!?" Snotlout screamed. "I thought we took care of that dragon!"

"Trapping it in a cave isn't really 'taking care of it', Snotlout," said Astrid pointedly.

"I _love_ that dragon!" said Tuffnut. "It tried to kill us, remember? Those were the good old days!"

"Go, go, go!" Hiccup shouted, because he was worried the Death Song would follow them back if they weren't quick. "Everyone, head back to the Edge!"

The dragons spun and shot away, back in the direction from whence they had come.

The Death Song didn't follow them.


	3. Chapter 3

**GUYS.**

 **I FIGURED IT OUT.**

 **I NOW KNOW WHAT UPDATING SCHEDULE I FOLLOW.**

 **Okay, so, I can't believe I didn't realize this before now! Because it's so weird, the pattern...OKAY, so, I figured out earlier that I update whenever I get anywhere over fifteen reviews for that chapter.**

 **It's weird.**

 **I just do it. Because every time I get a review, it makes me want to write faster and update quicker, because I know someone read my story and is waiting for the next chapter.**

 **SO I FINALLY FIGURED OUT MY UPDATING SCHEDULE. AFTER ALL THIS TIME I FINALLY FIGURED IT OUT! :D**

 **But unfortunately, right now I have a migraine, so I'm not going to be able to do shout-outs _this_ chapter, BUT I PROMISE I WILL DO THEM NEXT CHAPTER BECAUSE YOUR REVIEWS AND FEEDBACK MEAN SO MUCH TO ME AND I LOVE YOU GUYS. :D **

**I love you all! Enjoy chapter 3! :D**

* * *

Hiccup carefully set the egg down on the round table at the Clubhouse, and the other dragon riders crowded around it. Well, all but the twins, who were busy hammering wooden planks over the large, gaping hole they had blown through the floor earlier.

Fishlegs looked at the egg curiously. "Huh," he said. "Now, _this_ is kind of weird...most dragon eggs are sort of rough, it makes it harder for predators like the Death Song to swallow them. But this one's smooth…" He ran his hand along the egg's surface. "Where did you say you found it again, Hiccup?"

"In a clearing," Hiccup said, "on Arrow's Crevice. Which is weird. Dragons normally lay their eggs in secluded places."

"Arrow's Crevice _is_ sort of a secluded place," said Astrid logically. "Maybe the mother and father thought it was safe enough."

"But of course," said Fishlegs, "there's no way to know, as the Death Song probably _ate_ the mother and father…"

"I'm done," Snotlout said, throwing his hands over his head. "I am so done with this day. It was bad enough we went to Arrow's Crevice in the first place, but bringing back the egg of a flipping _Strike Class dragon!?_ And the Death Song!?"

"Relax, Snotlout," said Astrid. "We've been through this before. We know what to do."

"It's a _Strike Class!"_ shrieked Snotlout. "You don't know _what_ you're doing!"

"Drop it, drop it!" said Hiccup. "We have bigger problems here than that! What happens when the egg hatches? We know virtually nothing about this species, or even what species it is."

"Come on, Tuffnut!" said Ruffnut from the ground as Tuffnut nailed two wooden boards together, but he was having trouble aiming with the hammer. "Use your head!"

Tuffnut, taking her literally, threw the hammer aside and began bashing his helmet against the nail. Ruffnut chuckled; she obviously didn't care that he didn't understand what she meant.

"Well, we'll have to wait until it hatches," said Fishlegs. "Then we'll know. It could be a new species! It should be fun!"

"Not if you're _dead!"_

"Are you quite finished, Snotlout?" said Hiccup flatly.

"No, I'm not!" said Snotlout. "Look, guys, I'm as into danger as the next person, but taking prey from the Death Song is probably one of the stupidest things you've ever done. I mean, it's so stupid, _I_ could have suggested it. I say we find whatever dragon species this is, and then take it back to its own kind!"

"I agree," said Hiccup, "but we can't do that until it hatches, and who knows how long that'll take. It could take days, weeks, even. Months, actually."

"Um, Hiccup," said Fishlegs nervously, "I don't think it'll take that long."

"Why…" Hiccup began to ask, but when he looked at the egg, he saw that it was turning a deep, orange-golden color. "Uh oh...TAKE COVER!" he shouted. He and Astrid dove beneath the table; Ruffnut and Tuffnut jumped down the hole they had been horribly repairing; Snotlout ducked behind Hookfang, and Fishlegs ducked behind Meatlug. Toothless and Stormfly shielded their riders.

There was a loud _BOOM!_ and a _BANG!_ , followed by several crashes. Hiccup shut his eyes tightly, hoping the roof didn't cave in. A shelf was blown off the wall, its contents spilling onto the floor. The door was knocked off its hinges. At some point or another, Snotlout screamed.

Finally, all became quiet, and Toothless lifted his wing off Hiccup, and Hiccup straightened up, coughing. The smoke was so thick he couldn't see anything.

He heard Astrid sit up and cough beside him. "We are _never_ …" she coughed, "...bringing another dragon egg in here."

"A-Agreed," Hiccup coughed back, getting to his feet. He grabbed a notebook off the table and fanned the smoke away.

"Hookfang, wing blast!" Snotlout shouted from across the room, and instantly, a large gust of wind from Hookfang's swooping wings swept throughout the Clubhouse. Hiccup was nearly blown off his feet again.

But at least it cleared the air.

Fishlegs peaked out from behind Meatlug, hands over his head. "Is it over?" he whispered.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut poked their heads out from the hole, looking around warily. "Wow," said Ruffnut. "We almost _died_."

"I know," said Tuffnut. "We should bring dragon eggs in here more often."

They heard a sudden (if not a bit confused) _grrrr_ come from the corner of the room, and the riders instantly turned their heads to look at it.

They had nearly forgotten that the explosion had been caused by a dragon's hatching.

And there _was_ , indeed, a dragon, sitting on the charred floor of the Clubhouse.

The dragon was small and solid black. A tiny ring of purple scales circled the little creature's right eye like one-lensed glasses, and the dragon's wings flopped limply on the ground on either side of it.

Its eyes were big, wide, and toxic green, like Changewing acid, and it stared at them all, each in turn, head cocked to the side.

The riders blinked in unison.

"Hiccup, is that…?" Fishlegs whispered, raising his finger to point.

"I...I don't know," Hiccup said, shaking his head. "It could be…"

The dragon blinked at them and cooed. Toothless reeled back in shock, looking as unnerved as the rest of them felt.

"There's no way," said Astrid.

" _What's_ 'no way'!?" Snotlout demanded. "Clue me in! If it's a Skrill, I'm going to be really, really, _really_ angry!"

Then, the little tiny black dragon sneezed; a blast of purple light exploded against the floor nearby. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout, who had been clueless moments before, finally understood.

"Oh," said Ruffnut. "Oh my THOR…"

"Could it be true?" said Tuffnut. "Is it…?"

"I...I think it is," Hiccup said, nodding. "A Night Fury."

The group gasped collectively.

…

"We are in route to the Edge, Dagur!" said Savage, saluting. Dagur only had three measly ships out of his entire armada; Viggo had insisted his numbers be small, be it out of distrust or insurance, Dagur wasn't sure.

"Good!" said Dagur. "And when will we reach our little destination?"

"At the rate of the winds," said Savage, looking upwards at the sail, "I would say three days, give or take."

"If there's any way to make us go _faster_ ," snapped Dagur, and Savage straightened to attention, " _do it!"_

"Sir, y-yes sir, Dagur, sire," said Savage, and he turned tail and ran as fast as he could towards the bow of the ship. Dagur, meanwhile, grinned and examined the blade of his sword.

"Good luck getting out of this one alive, brother," Dagur said mockingly, as if somehow, all those thousand miles away, Hiccup could hear him. And then, Dagur turned, grabbed a nearby piece of flint, and sharpened his weapon all the further.

…

The Night Fury hatchling paced back and forth across the floor, his wings drooping on either of his sides and dragging the ground. The dragon seemed unaware that he _had_ wings at all.

Meanwhile, Hiccup, Fishlegs, Astrid, Snotlout, and the twins sat at the round table in the Clubhouse, watching the small dragon. Toothless seemed the most intrigued by him, staring, watching like a hawk. A very confused but thrilled hawk.

"Um...so…" said Snotlout, coughing awkwardly into his fist. "A Night Fury."

"Yeah…" said Astrid.

"This is so exciting!" said Fishlegs. "You guys don't realize how brilliant this is! We have the once in a lifetime opportunity to watch a Night Fury grow up, from hatchling state! I've already written down the massive explosion when it hatches...this is so great!"

Hiccup nodded. "Which also means," he said, "there could be other Night Furies out there that we haven't found yet."

The hatchling Night Fury tumbled over himself, tripping over his wings. Toothless tilted his head, and the little Night Fury tilted his head right back, as if wondering how on earth the floor had come up on him so fast.

"Okay," said Tuffnut, "first order of business. We need to decide who calls dibs."

"Wait, what? No one's calling dibs!" Hiccup objected.

"Easy for _you_ to say!" said Tuffnut. "You already _have_ a Night Fury!"

"Actually, Tuffnut," said Astrid, "if anyone should take care of the Night Fury, it's Hiccup and Toothless. Hiccup, because he knows more about dragons than you'll know about _anything_ , and two, because Toothless is, obviously, a Night Fury."

Tuffnut crossed his arms. "No fair," he said.

"Okay!" said Ruffnut, who hadn't yet lost hope. "But _I_ get to name it!"

"What? No fair!" said Tuffnut, not for the first time. "How come _you_ get to name it?"

"Look, I don't care who names it as long as Hiccup doesn't," said Snotlout.

"What does everyone have against me?" Hiccup asked helplessly, throwing his hands over his head.

"Well, you did kind of name the freaking _unholy offspring of lightning and death itself_ 'Toothless', Hiccup," said Snotlout.

"Says the guy who literally has the word 'snot' in his name," said Astrid.

"Okay, guys, drop it!" said Hiccup. "If it means so much to you, we'll all decide on the name!"

"Ooh, wait, I've got it, I've got it!" said Tuffnut, his hand shooting into the air and waving back and forth frantically. "How about, Deathkiller?"

The others stared. Even Ruffnut looked at him shamefully.

"Look, bro, that's a great name for a Whispering Death," said Ruffnut, "but this guy's literally fifteen minutes old."

"I've got an idea!" said Snotlout.

"Oh, no, not you…" moaned Fishlegs.

"What do you have against _me?"_

"How about Tuffnut Jr.!"

 _"No, Tuffnut!"_ the other riders shouted in perfect unison, and Tuffnut crossed his arms angrily.

"How about...Ember?" said Fishlegs.

"That is a stupid name!" said Tuffnut.

"You know?" said Astrid. "I like it! All in favor of Ember, raise your hand!" She raised her hand before anyone else, and soon after her followed Fishlegs, Hiccup, and Snotlout.

"Even though I think a name I could have come up with would have been better," Snotlout grumbled, though his hand was held high.

"Sorry, bro," said Ruffnut, "but I kinda like Ember, too." And she raised her hand up with the other riders'.

Tuffnut sighed. "Okay, fine," he said. "But he'll always be Tuffnut Jr. to me."

"Okay, so Ember it is!" said Hiccup, smiling. "We'll keep looking over Bork's Dragon Eye lense, too. I'll double check Bork's notebook, just to make sure we didn't miss anything."

He scooped the notebook and the Dragon Eye into his arms and stood to leave.

"Until then," he said, "Snotlout, it's your night to patrol the Edge."

Snotlout was scratching the small spider bite on his leg again. "I'm a wounded warrior!" he protested. "Get someone else to do it!"

"Snotlout…"

"Fine!" growled Snotlout furiously, leaping to his feet. "Come on, Hookfang, let's go…"

He stormed out of the Clubhouse with Hookfang hot on his heels. Hiccup let out a long sigh and turned back to Astrid, Fishlegs, and the twins.

"So, Fishlegs, you're on breakfast duty tomorrow," Hiccup said.

"We know," said Fishlegs, nodding. "Meatlug and I will be up bright and early to catch fish, won't we, Meatlug?" Meatlug growled her agreement.

"Well, good," said Hiccup. "In that case, I'll see you all tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Hiccup," Astrid, Fishlegs, and the twins said in almost perfect unison, and Hiccup turned, calling to Toothless. Toothless nodded at him and gave Ember a small nudge towards the door. Ember eagerly bounded after Hiccup, wings still flopping limply, and Toothless followed along in their wake.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey guys! :D**

 **SO I WANTED TO MAKE SOMETHING CLEAR REAL FAST.**

 **I am fully aware that in the second HttYD film, Hiccup and Toothless still have not found a Night Fury. I took all of this into consideration; don't worry, guys. I know what I'm doing. ;) *wink* *wink* BUUUUUUUUTTTTTT I do appreciate the concern, guys! :D Shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yep! Threw a curve at 'ya! :D**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: I can promise you it will be very interesting. :)**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Yeah, not many saw the Night Fury coming. ;)**

 **Animals Rule: Caaaallllleddd iiiitttt! :D :D :D**

 **RubyTheSkyWing: BABY NIGHT FURY. SO CUTE. GAH. XD**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks! :D I appreciate the thought, although I am already fully aware of the "still no Night Furies" in HttYD 2. I have a plan. Don't worry. XD BUUUT I'm not going to tell anyone what that plan is because SPOILERS! XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Junkmail Hoffers: HERE IS MORE! :D**

 **StoryGirl1997: Awesome! You totally called it! :D Ember's a guy. :) Yes, I imagine Toothless will definitely be protective of little Ember and take him under his wing (heh heh, literally XD). We'll have to see what happens after that. ;) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LunarCatNinja: Night Fury! :D Cute! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: And better yet, an adorable baby Night Fury! :D**

 **SnivyDragon: Baby Night Fury! Stupid Dagur, stay away! He'll ruin everything! XD Seriously though, imagine protective Toothless should Dagur try anything stupid...WOW. XD Yeah, migraines...no fun. BUUUUT at least I can tolerate them. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **HappyPup1: NIGHT FURY! YAY! :D :D :D :D :D**

 **GuardianDragon98: Baby Night Fury! Who doesn't love them? :D ADORABLE LITTLE BABY NIGHT FURY OH MY GOSH. XD Ember's a boy. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **bella: Adorable, for sure. :D**

 **Forever Me: Yeah, Tuffnut Jr...XD AND BABY NIGHT FURY! :D :D :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Crystallion12: NIGHT FURIES! :D And I am well aware of HttYD 2 and have a plan. (Heh heh heh...) XD**

 **MaximumRide159: Ember is ADORABLE. :D :D :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: Baby Night Fury! :D And Toothless will be extremely protective, I'm sure. :)**

 **Charr2003: I KNOW, RIGHT? BABY NIGHT FURY SO ADORABLE OMGOSH. XD I LOVE BABY NIGHT FURIES. IT'S LIKE, "SHUT UP AND TAKE MY MONEY!" XD Thanks! :D I love writing Snotlout. He's actually hilarious to write about. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

* * *

Hiccup flipped through page after page, searching for anything that hinted "Night Fury", or anything remotely _like_ "Night Fury", but so far, his attempts proved futile. He was sitting on the wooden stool at his desk, elbow on the table, chin resting against his knuckles. He turned the pages with his other hand, the words illuminated by the small flame of a burning candle.

Hiccup heard a _thud_ issue from behind him, and he half-turned to look at what had caused it. Ember had knocked over a crate. "Careful," Hiccup said, and the dragon instantly gave him his full attention. It was a bit unsettling how intelligent Night Furies were, even on the day of their hatching. Hiccup made a mental note to mention it to Fishlegs later.

Hiccup nodded in Toothless' direction. "I expect you to watch him," Hiccup said, pointing his charcoal at the older (but no less playful) of the two dragons, and Toothless nodded seriously. After he had gotten over the idea of not being the last of his species, he had taken to Ember like an older brother on their younger sibling.

Hiccup turned back to his work, tapping his charcoal against the table.

Hours passed.

Toothless and Ember were now sleeping on Toothless' stone slab, Toothless curled protectively around Ember. Hiccup's eyelids were drooping; the candle was only a quarter of the height it had been when Hiccup first lit it.

Hiccup sighed heavily and shut the book. "Well, that's it for tonight," he said, mostly to himself, but Toothless still raised his head and watched Hiccup blow out the candle, set the charcoal on the desk, and climb into bed.

"Night, bud," Hiccup said.

Toothless growled back, laid his head down, and fell asleep once more. Hiccup smiled at the two dragons, pulled his blanket over his shoulders, and fell asleep as soon as he shut his eyes.

…

"See the stick?" said Tuffnut, sitting at one of the stools at the Clubhouse's round table, holding a stick just out of Ember's reach. "Go fetch!" Tuffnut shouted, pulling his arm back and throwing the stick as hard as he could. Ember looked at where the stick landed curiously, and then back at Tuffnut, big green eyes blinking in confusion.

"He's way too smart for that, Tuffnut," said Snotlout smugly, leaning back and putting his feet up on the table. "See? He's not even fetching the stick. He knows all you're going to do is throw it again."

"But it's still worth a try!" said Tuffnut. Toothless growled at Tuffnut, and Tuffnut put up his hands. "Chill out, T. I'm not going to hurt him."

"What's got Toothless being all mother-hen?" said Ruffnut. "I mean, I know Ember's the last Night Fury we know about besides him, but even if Tuffnut was the last Viking in the world besides me, I wouldn't be this protective over him."

"I feel the same way, sister," said Tuffnut. "I wouldn't be protective of me, either. I'm just too annoying...wait, what did you say?"

"Toothless isn't being 'mother-hen', Ruffnut," said Fishlegs. "It's natural instinct. Just like we protect each other, dragons also look out for each other."

Ember jumped, landing on Toothless' head. He still had yet to control his wings, which were still flopping limply. Ember now realized he had wings, though, and he stared at them, confused. He was intelligent, but he still couldn't figure out what those weird things on his sides were.

"I still can't believe it, Hiccup!" said Fishlegs, grinning. "Another Night Fury! This is incredible! Imagine how much we could-"

"-Learn about the Night Furies, we know, Fishlegs," said Snotlout. "You've said it about ten times so far, and it's not even noon!"

"Well, Toothless and I are going to go patrolling," Hiccup said, rising to his feet. "Now that we have the Dragon Eye, who knows when Viggo is going to try and strike to take it back from us."

"Good idea," said Fishlegs, nodding. "And we'll take turns watching Ember while you're gone."

"Thanks," said Hiccup. "Come on, Toothless."

Toothless looked at Ember, his posture drooping. He clearly didn't want to go.

"We'll be back in a minute, bud," Hiccup promised. "Just a few laps around the Edge to make sure Viggo and Ryker aren't trying to sneak up on us."

Toothless finally nodded and gave Ember a stern look while growling at the ground. Ember instantly nodded and sat down; clearly, Toothless had told him to stay where he was.

Then, Hiccup and Toothless left the Clubhouse and took to the sky.

"So, I'll watch him first," said Astrid, moving towards where Ember was sitting. "After me, Fishlegs. And then…" She looked at Snotlout and the twins uncertainly, not trusting any of them with Ember. The twins were trying to get Barf and Belch to burn down the wall, and Snotlout was picking at his teeth with his thumbnail. "...And then," she said, "let's hope Hiccup is back."

…

"It's pretty amazing, bud, isn't it?" said Hiccup as they soared over the open waters. Toothless growled in excited agreement. "I know! For so long, we've been searching for another Night Fury, and now, well, we found it!"

Toothless did a celebratory barrel roll; Hiccup tightened his grip around Toothless' saddlehorn to ensure he didn't fly backwards on accident. "We can try teaching him how to fly later," Hiccup said. "I don't know how soon Night Furies learn to fly...do you think he's ready?"

Toothless growled.

"Alright! It's settled then! We'll finish the patrol, and double back around for the Edge!"

Toothless growled, and they swooped through the sky.

They didn't notice the Berserker ships hidden flawlessly in the shadows of a sea stack. Dagur was watching Hiccup and Toothless with his spyglass held up to his eye, and once Hiccup and Toothless had flown out of sight, he lowered it, growling in fury.

"That Hiccup!" Dagur said, spitting Hiccup's name out as though it were a curse word. "Look at him, riding _my_ Night Fury! I want him dead! I want them _both_ dead!"

"We will reach Dragon's Edge soon enough, Dagur, sire," said Savage from behind, approaching cautiously.

"I don't _want_ to reach it 'soon enough'!" snarled Dagur angrily, whirling around to face Savage, eyes narrowed dangerously. "I want to reach it _now!_ Now now now now _now!"_

Savage didn't dare refuse Dagur, especially when he had a weapon with him. He turned and raced towards the Berserker sailing the ship to deliver the message, while Dagur focused on the sky towering above them, where Hiccup and Toothless had been moments before.

…

"Okay, Ember," said Fishlegs, holding a notebook in one hand and a charcoal in the other. Ember was still sitting obediently on the floor of the Clubhouse, head tilted to one side, waiting right where Toothless had told him. "Let's see here…" Fishlegs flipped to an empty page in the Clubhouse. "Can you fire a plasma blast for me?"

Ember looked at him curiously, comprehended what he had asked, and shot a small plasma blast at the floor. The wooden boards Ruffnut and Tuffnut had put over the gigantic hole were blown back off again, but Fishlegs wasn't paying attention. He jotted down something in the notebook.

"Hmm…" he said. "Interesting. Your plasma blasts are a deeper purple than Toothless'. Maybe Night Furies each have their own color of plasma."

Ember cooed at him in what could only be agreement.

"Okay, Ember!" said Fishlegs, finishing writing about the plasma blasts and once again flipping to a new page in his notebook. "Let me think...what else could we learn from you…"

Ember blinked his wide eyes in confusion.

"What about your wingspan?" said Fishlegs, setting the notebook down momentarily and grabbing their foot-long measuring stick. Ember watched Fishlegs as Fishlegs measured the dragon's wings, and finally, Fishlegs stepped back, set the measuring stick to the side, and took up the notebook.

"Four feet," said Fishlegs. "Not a bad wingspan, little guy."

Ember growled and smiled, clearly very pleased with himself, whether or not he knew what a "wingspan" was.

"You have some purple scales on your wings," said Fishlegs, writing that down, too. "Maybe Night Furies aren't always just black...this is exciting! This is really, really exciting! I can't wait until you learn how to _fly_...that is going to be amazing!"

Ember cooed in agreement, nodding. Fishlegs gathered up his notebook, charcoal, grabbed the Dragon Eye off the table, and turned to the door. "Now, stay here, Ember," said Fishlegs. "I'm going to go see if Hiccup's back…"

He left the Clubhouse, Meatlug following him after smiling briefly at Ember. Ember sat on the floor, blinking at the now closed door of the Clubhouse.

A _THUD!_ issued from the other side of the room, and Ember whipped his head around. Tuffnut and Ruffnut had pulled themselves through the window of the Clubhouse and landed on top of each other on the floor.

Ember looked confused, but curious. He growled at them, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut bounced to their feet, perked up.

"Yes!" said Tuffnut. "I told you Fishlegs would leave him here while he went to look for Hiccup!"

Ruffnut sighed. "Fine," said said angrily. "I guess I owe you half of tonight's dinner."

Ember still didn't understand why they were here, and he growled at them. Instantly, Ruffnut and Tuffnut looked back at him, made sure the door was shut, and hurried forward.

"Good afternoon, Tuffnut Jr.," said Tuffnut, "are you ready to blow something up?"

Ember growled.

"Good!" said Tuffnut. "In that case, shoot Ruffnut!"

"What? No!" shouted Ruffnut. "Shoot Tuffnut! He's the one who wanted to bother you in the first place!"

Ember looked at them, still confused. He growled.

"Um...he's trying to say something, Tuffnut," said Ruffnut, forgetting their argument for the time being.

"Oh, hold up!" said Tuffnut, putting his hand out in front of Ruffnut. "I speak Night Fury hatchlings!" He knelt down in front of Ember, and Ember tilted his head. "Alright, Ember," said Tuffnut. "What do you want to tell me?"

Ember didn't say anything. He simply stared at Tuffnut, unmoving, unblinking, and Tuffnut stared back confidently. After a moment, though, Tuffnut's confidence wavered. He cleared his throat and tried again.

"I _said_ ," he repeated, "what do you want to tell me?"

Ember still didn't say anything else.

"Yeah, bro, hate to break it to you," said Ruffnut, shaking her head, "but I don't think you speak Night Fury hatchling."

Tuffnut groaned and rose to his feet, pointing an accusing finger at his sister. "No, I do," he said. "You just broke it!"

"I broke your Night Fury hatchling speak?" said Ruffnut.

"No!" said Tuffnut. "You broke Ember! How could you? And all this time, I thought you would never hurt something so sweet, so innocent, so capable of blowing up literally everything on this island-"

"I didn't break him, you muttonhead!" snapped Ruffnut. "You creeped him out, big time, that's what happened! You kind of creeped _me_ out, and that's saying something, considering how well I know you!"

"You _did_ break him!" said Tuffnut. "You were always jealous of me! I knew it from the beginning!"

Ruffnut opened her mouth to say something else, but the doors of the Clubhouse flew open, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut turned.

"Oh...um...Hiccup!" said Tuffnut, raising his hand and waving. "Um...her idea!" He pointed accusingly at Ruffnut, who shoved him.

Hiccup sighed. Beside him, Toothless growled at the twins warningly, teeth unsheathed. Hiccup, wordlessly, jabbed his thumb over his shoulder, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut, sighing, headed past them out the door.

Toothless flicked the doors shut with his tail. Ember, meanwhile, leapt to his feet and bounded forward excitedly, growling happily at Toothless. The two Night Furies nuzzled foreheads for a moment.

"Well, I'm never leaving you unsupervised again, Ember," said Hiccup. "Now that I think of it...I really shouldn't let the _twins_ be left unsupervised again, either…"

Ember growled.

"Well, anyways," said Hiccup, clapping his hands together, "what say you we do some flying?"

Ember nodded excitedly in agreement.

…

Two dark silhouettes of dragons peaked out from their hiding place of a cave, looking into the black-sand clearing. They saw a small indentation in the ground from where their egg had been the day before.

But their egg wasn't there anymore.

The two silhouettes spread their wings and shot out of the cave, picking up on the scent of those who had taken the egg.

They would get their hatchling back no matter what it took.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry I didn't update much toady. Yeah, I had piano lessons and what not, stayed away from the house all day, away from the internet...but I did write this chapter, so here it is! Learned two out of three pages of Moonlight Sonata these past two weeks...Beethoven wrote some CRAZY AWESOME stuff. I just wish my hands were a little bigger...I have small hands. :( Anyways, here's chapter 5! :D Shout-outs:**

 **HappyPup1: LOL! :D We'll see what happens! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks! Yes, Ember is very cute. :)**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Yes. They are coming. Soooooooon. :)**

 **Liza Mondragon: Trouble indeed. :) Thanks a bunch! :D I hope you enjoy the rest of the story! :D**

 **Dimensional Girl: I have no idea. XD**

 **Forever Me: Lol! :D I think all authors have a sort of "dark" side of them that always wants to hurt the characters they hold most dear...*shrugs* XD**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: Yeah, definitely not good for them, I would think. :)**

 **Angel Azul: Yep. Hiccup, you're in big trouble now. XD Hahahahahaha! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Yes they are. :)**

 **wikelia: Yeah, angry parents...not good. D:**

 **LunarCatNinja: It's definitely one of those things. :) Well, we'll just have to see which one it really is! :D**

 **1 Fan: Baby Night Fury! CCUUUUTTEEE! :D**

 **StoryGirl1997: It can get worse, considering the fact that Dagur and his armada are on the way as well as the Night Fury parents are...so yeah, it could definitely get worse. :) And yeah, Ember looking at the twins wondering, "What in the world...?" XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: Yeah, I suppose it is a bit similar. :) Though I can promise you it is a lot different than that episode. :) The first thing I thought of as a name was "Amber" because of the Death Song (its amber sap and what not), but then that changed to "Ember" 'cause it felt more fitting. :D Thanks for the review! :)**

 **RubyTheSkyWing: Toothless being the father figure to this adorable Night Fury is so cute! :D Sometimes I forget how young Toothless actually is; he's Hiccup's age, so I think in RttE, if Hiccup and the gang are 18-19, Toothless would also be about 18-19. :) Thanks for the review! I'm glad you enjoy it so far! :D**

 **Guest (#2): Here comes the parents! Definitely very protective parents, too...XD**

 **Guest (#3): Yes, Ember is adorable. :D**

 **ilovedogs100: Thanks! :D Yeah, I love Ember! :D**

 **Charr2003: HERE COME THE PARENTS. :D We'll see how it all turns out! :D And yeah, hopefully no one dies...no one from the good side, at least. Dagur and his Berserkers can go ahead and die. XD**

 **SnivyDragon: Yes, that'll make for a REAL nice misunderstanding. And yeah, you're not a broken record. :) It has been said once, and it will be said again: EMBER IS ADORABLE. :D :D :D And seriously, Dagur doesn't know what he's getting into, going against Toothless trying to snatch away Ember...trouble! :D Dagur doesn't stand a chance. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

* * *

Toothless, Hiccup, and Ember stood on the edge of the smallest cliff on Dragon's Edge, overlooking the ocean. Hiccup turned back to Ember and Toothless, and put his hands together.

"Okay," he said. "I'm not so sure how to do this…" He'd never taught a dragon how to fly before. How was this going to work? What was he supposed to do? "Um...so, spread your wings."

He put his arms out to try and give Ember a visual of what he was trying to do. Ember looked at Toothless, and Toothless instantly spread his own wings. As soon as Toothless did it, Ember got the message, and he spread his wings, barely managing to keep his balance.

"Perfect!" said Hiccup. "Now...um...Toothless, a little help?"

Toothless nodded and gave Ember a small nudge towards the side of the cliff. Ember looked back at him uncertainly, but when Toothless nodded, he stepped towards the very edge and looked down at the water below.

He clearly wasn't sure of what to do, but he wasn't going to let that hinder him. He raised his wings and leapt off the side of the cliff dramatically, wings spread to their full length.

Hiccup and Toothless raced towards the edge of the cliff.

Ember wasn't flying.

"Okay, okay, let's go," Hiccup said, leaping onto Toothless' back, and Toothless took off after Ember down the side of the cliff.

Ember wasn't so confident anymore; he was flailing about in the sky helplessly, trying to find his wings. But just before Toothless swooped in to catch him, the wind caught beneath the little dragon's wings, and he shot into the sky.

"YES!" Hiccup cheered. "You did it, Ember! You did it!"

Ember opened his eyes, which he had shut tightly in fear, but once he saw that the ocean was not getting closer as he was no longer flying, he whooped and fired a celebratory plasma blast into the sky. The blast nearly knocked him off balance, and he quickly flapped his wings and leveled out again.

Toothless spun, and Ember tried to copy him, which ended terribly. He nearly spiralled into the water, and would have if Hiccup and Toothless hadn't swooped down and caught him just in time.

But Ember wasn't fazed; he spread his wings again and took off back into the sky. Toothless, after no hesitation, shot off after him.

It was a pretty amazing experience for them all, in fact. Toothless, because this was the first time he had ever flown with another of his kind before, and Ember, because he had never flown before, and Hiccup, too, because watching Toothless' thrill and Ember's excitement was contagious.

The two dragons circled around a sea stack, and Ember joyfully soared up into the clouds. Toothless followed him instantly, and he, Hiccup, and Ember disappeared into the white.

It was a shame they hadn't been focusing more on the ocean, or they might have noticed Dagur and his men watching them. Dagur dropped his spyglass, and the clatter caused by it hitting the deck of the ship made Savage look over. Dagur was staring at the sky as if he had seen a ghost.

"...Sire…?" said Savage uncertainly, pressing his luck and taking a step forward. "Is everything in order?"

Dagur's face broke into a wild, deranged grin, and he laughed hysterically. Savage stepped backwards, horrified at what Dagur would do when he was happy.

"They have another Night Fury!" Dagur cackled. "Another Night Fury! And it's still a baby! Do you know what this means, Savage?" He grabbed his second-in-command by his shoulders and shook him feverishly back and forth. " _Do you know what this means!?"_

Savage shook his head. "N-no, sire-"

Dagur released Savage so suddenly Savage fell and hit the ground of the ship below, right beside Dagur's spyglass. "It _means_ ," drawled Dagur, clearly thrilled, "we can take it, right from under their noses, and I can teach it my ways! I can teach it how to represent the Berserkers! All our foes will tremble in fear! Even Viggo and his dragon hunters will bow at my feet!"

Savage stood up, wobbling slightly on unsteady legs. "But Sire," he said, slightly uncertain, "the only reason we're here is because Viggo ordered you to lay siege on the Edge. We haven't come to take the Night Fury...either of them."

Dagur turned to glare, but quickly composed himself (which made him all the more terrifying). "If I wanted your opinion, Savage," said Dagur, and suddenly, all sense of calm gone, _"I WOULD HAVE ASKED FOR IT!"_

Savage took another step backwards. If Dagur wasn't terrifying enough when he was in a good mood, when he was in a bad mood, he gave a Monstrous Nightmare a run for its money.

"And anyways," said Dagur, turning back to overlook the sky, probably hoping Hiccup and the Night Furies would make a reappearance, "once I have that Night Fury, it won't matter what Viggo says, or what he thinks, or even what he _wants!_ I will rise above all the archipelago!"

"But Dagur," said Savage, _definitely_ uncertain this time, "the dragon riders _also_ have a Night Fury…"

"Exactly," said Dagur. "When that little Night Fury grows up, I will have a worthy adversary to take down Hiccup and his Night Fury!" He thrust his hand out in front of him, towards the Edge. "Faster!" he shouted. "Faster, faster, faster! We reach the Edge tomorrow at nightfall!"

…

Hiccup and Toothless, Ember in the lead, broke out of the clouds and set a course back towards Dragon's Edge. They had gone farther out than Hiccup intended; they had to get back before the sun set.

"Alright, Ember!" Hiccup called over the sky. "Time to head home!"

Ember nodded in agreement (he seemed to be getting tired), and they headed back towards the Edge. But at the very last second, Hiccup looked over his shoulder.

He froze.

"Wait!" he called, and Toothless spun around; Ember, too spun, and he landed on Toothless' head, looking down at the water.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes.

It was a bit hard to see exactly what it was from this distance, but he knew they were ships. He only saw three at this time, but that was enough for him. They were ships, and they weren't Berkian ships, and they were heading straight for the Edge.

Hiccup squinted, trying to get a better look.

On the sail of the biggest ship, he could make out a large, black Skrill painted on the sail of the ship.

Hiccup groaned.

He knew that crest.

"Berserkers," he said. Toothless growled, clearly furious. He looked up to make sure Ember was safely on his head, and then glared back down at the water, back at the ships.

"Oh, no…" Hiccup said. "Come on, Toothless...back to the Edge, right now."

Toothless nodded, spun around, and shot back towards Dragon's Edge. Hiccup glanced over his shoulder one final time, and watched until the Berserker ships faded from sight before refocusing his attention on getting back to the Edge as quickly as possible. He changed gears on Toothless' prosthetic tailfin, and Toothless maneuvered them home.

...

"So let me get this straight," said Snotlout, "Dagur and his gang of goons are on their way here."

"Yes," said Hiccup; Ember was sitting on Hiccup's shoulder, and Toothless was standing beside Hiccup, ensuring that Ember didn't topple off. Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut were standing in a line in front of him.

"And they're not far off, either," Hiccup went on.

"How long do you think it'll take them to get here?" Fishlegs asked nervously, twiddling his thumbs.

"There was a wind resistance," said Hiccup, "so I'd guess, maybe another day. My guess is they'll arrive sometime tomorrow, in the middle of the night."

"Why didn't you and Toothless blast them into oblivion when you saw them?" said Snotlout. "You would've had the perfect shot."

"Yes, Snotlout," said Astrid, and the sarcasm in her voice was obvious, "and if Hiccup was an idiot, I'm sure he would have done that."

"Snotlout, trying to take down Dagur's ships singlehandedly is a risky move," said Fishlegs pointedly, "on _any_ occasion."

"So, if you were just going to tell us about our upcoming doom," said Tuffnut, raising his finger, "why call us here in the first place? Just to annoy us? You _would_ do something like that-"

"No, I just wanted to make sure we all know what to do when Dagur and his Berserkers get here," said Hiccup.

"Hiccup is right," said Astrid. "We all know what to do to prepare for the attack, but when Dagur and his Berserkers get here-"

"Hang on," said Snotlout, "you said there were only three ships. Why do we have to worry about _three tiny Berserker ships?"_

"Because the Berserkers are working with the dragon hunters again," said Hiccup, "which means Viggo must have sent them here for a reason. They can't be here without some sort of back up plan."

"Right…" said Snotlout. "Sorry, still missing the purpose of this entire meeting…"

"Well, for starters," said Hiccup, "Snotlout and Fishlegs, you two will be making sure no other ships are approaching us, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut can start working on their defense maneuvers. Astrid will make sure the Changewings and Night Terrors are in the right places, and I'll hide the Dragon Eye."

"Okay, nevermind!" said Tuffnut, grinning excitedly. "Maybe the meeting wasn't so stupid after all!"

"But before you start working on that," said Hiccup, "I want to make sure you know what to do in the event that Dagur and his men make it past our barricades. In which case, Astrid and I have decided we're going to set you up with a few training exercises."

"You'll meet me in the training arena at first light," said Astrid, "that way, we can practice sharpening our skills."

"Look, this is all fine and dandy and hoo-ha and what not," said Snotlout, "but why start training now? Why didn't we worry about 'sharpening our skills'-" he made quotation marks with his fingers, "-before now?"

"We didn't have the Dragon Eye before now," said Hiccup. "And now that we have it, we can't let Viggo, or Dagur, steal it back from us."

"Right," said Astrid. "The Night Terrors will do one last patrol before bed, and then, tomorrow morning, we'll run through some training drills. Any questions?"

The riders turned to each other, looked back at Hiccup and Astrid, and shook their heads.

"Good," said Hiccup, "in which case, I'll take this…" He grabbed the Dragon Eye from their round table, "...and Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you can start planning your defenses."

"I can already see it!" said Tuffnut. "It's glorious! Hey, Ruffnut, what do you think about buckets of honey and piles of feathers?"

"Sounds good to me," said Ruffnut. "Come on, let's start planning…" And they turned and raced off. They were followed by Snotlout and Hookfang, and once the door was shut, only Fishlegs, Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragons remained.

Hiccup looked down at the Dragon Eye, frowning. Astrid caught his look and, too, frowned.

"Hiccup?" she said. "What's the problem?"

"No problem," Hiccup said. "I just...what's so special about this Dragon Eye? I know it contains extensive dragon knowledge and all, but even with all that, I don't understand why Viggo's so bent on getting it back."

"He told you it was an heirloom, didn't he?" said Fishlegs. "Family heirlooms are big deals, Hiccup. Some of the greatest chiefs in history gathered armies upon armies to go fight and take back an heirloom when it was stolen."

"No...there's something else," said Hiccup, studying the object in his hands carefully. "I just don't know what."

He looked up again and exchanged confused and slightly worried glances with Fishlegs and Astrid.

"Well, I'm going to go ahead and hide this thing," he said finally. "Either of you have any ideas?"

"You could try the caves," offered Astrid logically. "They didn't look for it there last time."

"Good thinking," said Hiccup. "Well, thanks. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"And remember, dawn, at the arena," said Astrid. "I want to go over a few things with you, too, Hiccup."

"Alright," Hiccup said, "I won't forget." He slipped the Dragon Eye into Toothless' saddlebag and held out his arm; Ember jumped from his shoulder to his forearm with an excited growl. "You want to go with us, Ember?" Hiccup asked, and at Ember's enthusiastic nod, the trio set out.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey guys! :D How are you doing? :) So, unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to do shout-outs this chapter, _BUT I LOVE YOU ALL AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE REVIEWS YOU ARE AMAZING! :D_ I'm going to try and make two updates today...possibly three if you guys are lucky...haha, funny, if I do three updates I'll finish this story...**

 **Wait...**

 **Hmmmm...**

 **DO YOU GUYS WANT ME TO TRY AND FINISH THE STORY TODAY? XD LOVE YOU! ENJOY CHAPTER 6!**

* * *

"Okay!" said Astrid at the training arena the next morning, kicking a target up against the wall and having Stormfly pin it in place with a spine. Astrid slung her axe over her shoulder and turned to face the group; Snotlout, her first victim - oops, no, she meant _trainee_ \- was standing before her, clutching a sword. Sitting along the outer ring of the arena, legs dangling over the side, were Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Hiccup, each with their weapons, each staring down at Snotlout and Astrid.

"So, Snotlout," said Astrid, "this first scenario, we're going to be working on ground combat. For this exercise, I will be a dragon hunter, and the target behind me is a catapult you are trying to dismantle. Your goal is to get past me and strike down the target."

"Ha!" said Snotlout. "You could at _least_ challenge me! This is going to be easy!"

"Okay, okay, before we start," said Ruffnut excitedly to Fishlegs, Tuffnut, and Hiccup, "who are you voting for? Because, I'm kind of hoping Astrid will clobber Snotlout."

"Hmm...tough decision," said Tuffnut, scratching his chin. "I wonder...sorry, I'm going to have to go with Snotlout. He's my brother-in-insanity. I cannot betray him like this."

"And what about you, Fishlegs?" said Ruffnut, leaning over. "Who are you cheering for?"

"Um...neither of them," said Fishlegs. "I mean, logically, Astrid will win, but I'm not going to cheer for either one of them."

"Eh, you're no fun," said Ruffnut. "And you, Hiccup?"

"This is training, guys," Hiccup said. "It's not a competition."

"Well, you're no fun, either."

"Alright, Snotlout," said Astrid, smiling, taking up her axe. "Remember, I'm playing the part of a dragon hunter. Don't go easy on me."

"Ha!" said Snotlout. "I wouldn't!"

"Well, I'll let you make the first move," said Astrid, smiling even wider, and Snotlout swung his sword.

Astrid sidestepped. Snotlout swung back around and tried hitting her again; she dove and ducked expertly. While she was preoccupied, Snotlout tried to make a run for the target, but he wasn't able to do it in time. Astrid, with one quick swing of her axe, knocked Snotlout's sword right out of his hands, and it flew across the arena.

Astrid blew back her hair and huffed. "Come on, Snotlout," she said. "I told you not to go easy on me."

"Yeah, go Astrid!" cheered Ruffnut, clapping her hands over her head. "Astrid one, Snotlout zero!"

"It isn't a competition-"

"No one asked you, dear Hiccup," said Ruffnut, reaching over to pat his shoulder. "No one asked you."

"Come on, that wasn't fair!" moaned Snotlout furiously, storming over to where his sword had landed and taking it up again. "You threw me off!"

Astrid rolled her eyes. "You're too slow, Snotlout," she said. "Honestly, you need to work on being lighter on your feet. If this had been an actual battle, you would be dead."

"If this had been an actual battle," said Snotlout, "I wouldn't have gotten thrown off! Try it again! This time, I'll _really_ show you!"

"Snotlout, Snotlout, Snotlout!" Tuffnut cheered.

"If you insist, Snotlout," said Astrid, and this time, Astrid gave herself the first move and lunged. Snotlout blocked her blow with a parry of his own and swung, aiming for the target; Astrid's leg swooped and knocked Snotlout so badly off balance that he stumbled off helplessly, still clutching his sword.

"Come on, Snotlout!" said Astrid. "Pretend you're being chased by a dragon hunter! What kind of steps do you take?"

"Freakin' _large ones_!" yelped Snotlout, finally regaining his balance. Astrid was on him soon enough, and she swiped her axe, once again knocking Snotlout's sword from his grip.

"Second time, you're out," said Astrid. "We'll work on that later. Next up, Ruffnut and Tuffnut."

Ruffnut and Tuffnut leapt from their seats and into the arena, drawing their recently sharpened spears. "Alright," said Tuffnut, "all we have to do is hit the target, right?"

"Wrong," said Astrid. "We're going to do a different scenario this time. You two are great fighting on the ground…" She yanked Stormfly's spine out of the target, grabbed the target, and tossed it into the air. Stormfly flicked her tail and fired another spine; the spine nailed the target at the very top of the arena's high walls.

"But," Astrid went on, axe slung over her shoulder, "without your dragons, your aerial attacks are weak."

"Well, it's not like we can _fly_ ," said Tuffnut. "Or...can we? Ruffnut! How long have you known!?"

"This should be good," said Snotlout, hauling himself up to sit beside Fishlegs, sword sheathed at his belt.

"You can't fly," said Astrid flatly, "and you won't need to." She gestured to the target. "In this scenario," she continued, "I am going to be a Berserker, and the target is going to be the sail of a Berserker ship. Cut down the sail, and the ship can't move."

"Right," said Ruffnut. "Okay, yeah, that sounds simple enough…" She looked at Tuffnut. "Whoever she goes after first will be the distraction," she whispered in his ear, "and when I give you the signal, we'll do the Thorston Ladder."

"You got it, sis," said Tuffnut, giving her a thumbs-up. Instantly, Ruffnut and Tuffnut each ran to opposite sides of the arena, and as Astrid could only follow one of them, she raced after Tuffnut.

Immediately, the twins put their plan into action. While Tuffnut kept Astrid busy, Ruffnut raced to the opposite wall so that she was positioned directly beneath the target. She whistled to Tuffnut and mimicked an explosion with her hand; instantly, Tuffnut, recognizing the signal, charged over.

Astrid had quite forgotten there were _two_ opponents to worry about, but it was too late. Tuffnut leapt onto Ruffnut's shoulders, and from there, jumped towards the target. He stabbed his spear straight through the bullseye and dragged it to the ground with him.

"YES!" Tuffnut cheered, hoisting his target and spear into the air like a Thawfest Trophy. "We won!" He high-fived Ruffnut, and then, they bashed their heads together in celebration.

Snotlout snorted. "I could've done that," he said.

Hiccup only rolled his eyes.

"Not bad, you too!" said Astrid, yanking the target off Tuffnut's spear. "A lot better than I expected, to be honest. Good job."

Snotlout moaned. "Really?" he said in disbelief. "Oh, I see how it is. She tells the _twins_ they did a good job, and what does she tell me? ' _We'll work on that later_.'"

"And next," said Astrid, "I'm going to take...Fishlegs!"

"Um, well, okay," said Fishlegs, and he slid off the overhead ring and into the arena. Ruffnut and Tuffnut took their seats on either side of Hiccup while Snotlout sulked across from them.

"Alright, Fishlegs," said Astrid. "What are you _not_ good at that we can work on...let's see here...we can work on your footwork! Footwork is one of the most important parts of fighting. You want to be able to move at all times. It throws off your opponent."

"Okay…" said Fishlegs. "So…"

"So," said Astrid, setting the target against the wall, "I'm going to be taking the role as a Berserker again, and you're going to have to try and get past me and grab the target. All you have to do is grab it."

"Okay," said Fishlegs, nodding, tightening the grip on his sword. "That shouldn't be too hard, right?"

Ruffnut and Tuffnut nodded in excited unison, which didn't reassure anyone.

"Tell me when to start," said Fishlegs, holding his sword in front of his face, clearly fearing the worst.

"Right...now," said Astrid, and Fishlegs surged forward. Out of everyone in the group, Fishlegs was, surprisingly, one of the best swordsmen, but unfortunately, Astrid was right; he _did_ have a bit of trouble keeping himself moving.

But in the end, he did manage to grab the target, and once he did, Astrid lowered her axe. "It took a little longer than I hoped, Fishlegs," she said, "but you're already improving. Good job."

"Thanks, Astrid," said Fishlegs.

"Aww, come _on!"_ shouted Snotlout. "Really? Where's _my_ pat on the back!?"

Tuffnut reached over and slapped him on the back so hard that Snotlout, with a scream, fell off the outer ring of the arena. Tuffnut winced. "Oops," he said. "Sorry, Snotlout! Was that not good enough?"

"Why do I even bother?" moaned Snotlout from the floor, covering his face with his hands.

"Okay, Hiccup!" said Astrid. "You're next!"

"Ooooooh!" drawled Ruffnut and Tuffnut in unison as Hiccup pushed himself off the ring and into the arena.

"Now who are you cheering for, Fishlegs?" asked Tuffnut excitedly.

"I'm not _cheering_ for anyone," said Fishlegs.

"I'm counting on big things from Thor's mighty hammer," said Ruffnut.

"Who...you mean Hiccup?" said Fishlegs.

"Yeah!" said Ruffnut. "He and Snotlout totally got in a fistfight a few months ago. It was _amazing_."

"I didn't hear about this," said Fishlegs blankly.

"Oh, I'm sure you _did_ ," said Tuffnut. "We just mentioned it…" He snapped his fingers in Fishlegs' face, making Fishlegs reel back. " _Subtlety_ ," said Tuffnut mysteriously.

"Oh, knock it off," said Fishlegs, crossing his arms.

Hiccup drew his sword. "So, what's my scenario?"

"I'm going to be a dragon hunter," said Astrid, "and you are going to fight me."

"Fight you?" Hiccup said. "So, no targets, no main goal, just...fight you."

"Exactly," said Astrid, nodding. "You're pretty good with precision and accuracy, but I can't remember the last time I saw you sword fight. So, that's what we're working on." She raised her axe. "Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," said Hiccup, raising his sword, and he and Astrid charged at the same time, sword clashing against axe.

"Go, H.!" said Tuffnut. "They're charging again…" _CLANG!_ "Oooh, nice move, Astrid! Come on, Hiccup, counter it!"

 _SMACK!_

Tuffnut winced. "Ooh, that has _got_ to hurt," he said. "Just shake it off, Hiccup, shake it off!"

Hiccup met Astrid's blow with a parry of his own; he had misjudged the distance between him and the wall and had accidently slammed the bone of his hip against it. Astrid swung; Hiccup ducked.

"Light on your feet!" Ruffnut called.

Her shout threw Hiccup off guard, and he nearly tripped.

"Oh, wait...sorry, Hiccup! I meant _foot!"_

"Would you _please-"_ Hiccup said, cutting himself off when he raised his sword to meet Astrid's axe. "- _Stop talking-"_ CLASH! "-For five-" CLANG! "-Minutes!"

"Oh," said Tuffnut. "I don't think we can count that high…how many days equals a minute, Ruffnut?"

"At least seven and a half," said Ruffnut, nodding.

Astrid swung; Hiccup dodged. Hiccup swung; Astrid dodged. They went back and forth like this until it became clear.

Neither of them were winning.

Neither of them excelled the other.

Finally, Astrid lowered her weapon, and Hiccup did the same across from her. Astrid extended her hand, and Hiccup shook it.

"Nice," Astrid said. "I think you're good."

"COME. ON!" shouted Snotlout. "I could totally beat Hiccup in a fight! What's the big deal!?"

"Well, you _didn't_ beat Hiccup in your last fight," said Tuffnut. "I was meaning to ask, did your teeth ever grow back in?"

Snotlout growled.

"You're all fine!" said Astrid, nodding at each of them in turn. "I think we're ready for Dagur's attack!"

"Then we'd better go ahead and keep getting ready," said Hiccup, sheathing his sword at his belt. "They'll be here by nightfall."

"Great!" said Snotlout, getting to his feet. "Now I guess I'll go waste some time pointlessly patrolling the Edge for any more signs of ships. Is the Dragon Eye hidden?"

"Yep," said Hiccup, "in the caves up near Thor's Hammer. I doubt the Berserkers will look for it there."

"And Ruffnut and I will go finish setting our awesome defensive boobytraps!" grinned Tuffnut happily. "It'll be so much fun! We have so many new ideas!"

"Well, hurry," said Astrid, "because we don't have much time. As soon as the sun is down, we'll meet at the forest and wait for Dagur and his men. If we can keep them off of Dragon's Edge, it'll be better for all of us."

The other dragons nodded their agreement.

"Hey, Hiccup," said Fishlegs, "where's Ember?"

"With Toothless at my place," Hiccup said. "The two have sort of become...inseparable, actually."

"They're so adorable together," said Tuffnut. "I mean, I know they're Night Furies and they could literally take our heads off without even trying, but they're still adorable little offsprings of lightning and death itself."

"Right…" said Hiccup. "Okay...nevermind. Let's get ready. We head for the forest at nightfall. Leave your dragons behind. If the dragon hunters are with the Berserkers, they're safer off here than they are over there."

The riders nodded in unison.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys! :D A bit of a longer chapter this time. :) Let's see if I can't finish up this story today. :D Shout-outs:**

 **ShadowSpirit020: Thanks! :) Yeah, Astrid fighting Hiccup was fun to write. :)**

 **Galaxy-Mitsuko-Pegasus: I have a hard time feeling sorry for Snotlout considering how boastful he was being before the fight, but yeah, poor Snotlout. XD And the twins can actually be smart...when they want to be. The problem is, they rarely want to be. :D**

 **StarFlight13: Yeah, sorry about all that suspense! :D**

 **Charr2003: I promise I will do my very best to finish today! :D I'm so glad you liked that fight scene! I want to see something like that in RttE soon. ;) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **SilverGhostWolf: I'll do my best to finish it today! :D**

 **Animals Rule: Aww, thanks! :D**

 **Carly Marley: Yep, I'll definitely do my best and be careful. ;) I turned my computer brightness all the way down, which helps to not get headaches. :D Thanks! :D**

 **CoverGirl7210: I promise I'll do my best! :D**

 **StoryGirl1997: The twins bounce back and forth a lot, in the TV series, too. One moment they're geniuses, and the next moment, they can't tell whether or not they have legs. XD**

 **DragonRobotkid676: Awesome! :D**

 **1 Fan: Yep! Getting to the good part! :D**

 **AquaticDragon: Haha, thanks so much! :D**

 **midnightsky0612: Let's hope so. :)**

* * *

Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Snotlout were hiding, each behind their own tree in the forest. The light of the full moon blocked by the trees below, casting shadows on the forest floor that further hid the dragon riders. Snotlout tapped his foot impatiently.

"Are you sure the Berserkers were coming at us in this direction?" he whispered harshly to anyone who would listen. "Maybe they were coming from the North!"

"We checked that already, Snotlout," said Fishlegs, "remember? They're coming at us through the forest. It's the logical choice. The trees create great cover, especially in the dark."

"So, when Dagur and his group of Bonkers show up-" said Tuffnut.

"Berserkers," Fishlegs corrected.

"Right, Buffoons," said Tuffnut, "what are we supposed to do? We left the dragons to guard the base."

"We can fight without the dragons," said Astrid. "It's why we were training earlier, to prepare us for this."

"If we can keep the Berserkers from reaching the Edge," Hiccup said, "the Dragon Eye will be safest. If they make it past us, they'll have the dragons to deal with."

"You mean _when_ they make it past us," said Snotlout. When nobody answered, he groaned, clutching the hilt of his sword tighter. "I hate everything."

"Shh!" the others hissed at him, and Snotlout shut his mouth.

They listened for any indication of their enemy's arrival.

…

The Berserker ships moored on the shoes of the Edge, and Dagur stepped off, clutching his crossbow, his trusty axe sheathed at his belt. Dagur looked around, and then back at the ships as the rest of his men stepped out of it.

He pointed to the members of his third ship. "You," he barked, "are to sneak into the Edge and bring me the Night Fury."

His men nodded and scampered off, holding crossbows and axes alike. Dagur, meanwhile, motioned to the rest of his men, and set off into the dark forest, crossbows raised and at the ready.

…

"I hear footsteps," Snotlout whispered urgently, clutching his axe tighter. "Footsteps. Guys, this isn't a good thing. They're coming. They're going to kill us. But what's _worse_ …" He gasped in horror. "...They're going to kill _me!"_

"No one is dying, Snotlout," muttered Fishlegs.

"Except the Berserkers!" said Tuffnut.

"No, we're not killing them, either!"

"We _should!"_

"Check and see if anyone's coming," Astrid whispered to Snotlout harshly.

Snotlout whimpered. "Why is it always me?" he said, slightly desperately, and he peaked over the side of the tree he was hiding behind for only a moment before jerking his head back. "Yep," he said, "someone's coming."

"Alright," Hiccup said. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut, you guys ready to set off your first trap?"

"Thought you'd never ask," grinned Ruffnut.

…

The Berserkers were walking through the forest, Dagur leading them, when suddenly, a large trap door opened underneath the Berserkers bringing up the rear. By the time the other Berserkers had turned around to see what had happened, all that remained was the gaping hole of the twins' boobytrap

Dagur groaned. "Always the same old thing, isn't it, brother?" Dagur called into the forest. "Don't pretend you can't hear me, Hiccup! I know you're in there! Show yourselves, cowards!"

…

"You know something?" said Ruffnut, returning from triggering their trap, clutching her spear. "Whenever Dagur tells us to show ourselves, I have the strangest urge _not_ to show myself."

"It's obviously a trap," said Astrid. "Who knows what they have as backup if we _do_ show ourselves?"

"But they're here for a reason," Hiccup said.

"Oh no," said Snotlout. "Please don't tell me you're thinking what I think you're thinking."

"He's thinking _something_ ," said Ruffnut. "He has that psychotic gleam in his eyes again."

"What? No I don't!"

"And he's in denial, too."

"We have to find out why they're here," said Hiccup, "we have to. Viggo has a plan, and you know what a blabber mouth Dagur can be."

"So your brilliant plan is to talk to Dagur," said Snotlout, "and then talk your way out of getting killed by him afterwards?"

"Hey, it usually works," said Hiccup, shrugging.

"Yep," said Snotlout. "We are _definitely_ doomed."

"Come on," Hiccup said, and he, followed by his friends, more or less reluctantly, stepped out of the shadows and into the moonlight.

Across from them, ten feet away, stood Dagur, and behind him were his Berserkers. Dagur smiled maniacally.

"Well, brother," he said, "fancy me seeing you here."

"Start with a compliment," whispered Tuffnut to Hiccup. "They're less likely to kill you if you start with a compliment."

"And Dagur," Hiccup said. "You're looking as paranoid as ever."

Tuffnut facepalmed. "What did I just say?" he moaned quietly.

Dagur set down his crossbow and unsheathed his axe, leaving both on the forest floor. Then, he stepped forward. "Come on, brother," he taunted. "I thought negotiating was your thing."

Hiccup narrowed his eyes, unsheathed his sword, and stabbed it into the ground at his side. He stepped forward, his friends staying where they were, and Dagur's Berserkers, likewise, remaining unmoved.

Hiccup and Dagur stopped just in front of each other. Hiccup's glare didn't falter; Dagur's smile didn't waver. "It's so nice to see you again, brother," said Dagur, smiling. "I knew you would get out of drowning on my ship. But the real question is, _how_ did you manage to get out of drowning?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you," said Hiccup.

"Ah, you're right, I wouldn't!" said Dagur, grinning. "And I'm glad you made it out! You have no idea how good it feels to keep almost killing you over and over and over again. It's a wonderful feeling, brother."

"Well, I'm glad," said Hiccup. "It feels good to be escaping near death from you every other week, too. Except, I don't exactly know why you're here, Dagur."

"Well, obviously," said Dagur, "I'm here to take back what was once mine."

"Back to this old thing again?" Hiccup said. "Come on, Dagur, I know you better than that. You're working with the dragon hunters. Why are you here, really?"

Dagur laughed maniacally, and Hiccup, though he was tempted, didn't step backwards. "Oh, brother!" he cackled. "You still think I'm in league with those loony dragon hunters? They're insane! I would never take orders from someone who tried to kill my brother!"

"Uh huh, right," said Hiccup, his frown deepening. "Then why were Berserker ships moored at the dragon hunter base last time we visited?"

"We were captured," said Dagur, "all of us. Well, it started with me, and then my men, and then my sister-"

"Heather?" Hiccup said, and his eyes went wide. "Where is she now?" he demanded.

Dagur grinned and shrugged. "Oh, I don't know," he said carelessly. "Dead, who knows. It doesn't matter to me what happens to her. Maybe Viggo's killed her. She's probably dead. Coward-"

No one was exactly sure what happened next. One moment, Dagur was laughing smugly, and the next, there was a loud _WHUMP!_ of flesh against flesh, and Dagur was reeling backwards, hands over his face, and Hiccup was gritting his teeth, fist balled at his side.

Hiccup had punched Dagur square in the face.

"Whoa," said Tuffnut, looking awed, while Astrid and Fishlegs' jaws dropped. "Hiccup has a _great_ left-hook."

"But he's left-handed," said Ruffnut. "Shouldn't it be called a right-hook?"

"I don't care _what_ you call it," said Tuffnut, "but that was _awesome_."

"Wow," said Fishlegs. "I have never seen that before."

"And trust me," said Snotlout. "It hurts a _lot_ more than it looks. I would know." He rubbed his jaw slightly as if for emphasis.

Dagur finally lowered one hand from his face, the other hand still clutching his nose. "Wow, brother," he said, his voice a nasally croak compared to what it normally was. "You know, when I saw your fist coming at me, I didn't expect it to hurt. But... _wow_...you're full of surprises, aren't you, Hiccup?"

Hiccup didn't respond. "Dagur," he said, "if you value your life, or the lives of your men at all, you will back down, and leave Dragon's Edge."

Dagur sighed. "You said it yourself," he said. "You know me too well. I'm sure my answer has already crossed your mind, brother."

"Then I know my response has already crossed yours," said Hiccup flatly.

Dagur narrowed his eyes and yanked a hidden dagger from his belt, preparing to drive it forward. But before he got far, Hiccup pulled a likewise hidden knife from his own belt and met Dagur's blow with a parry.

Dagur's confidence wavered. "You cheated," he said.

"So far I could say the same thing to you, _brother_ ," Hiccup spat.

Dagur smiled cruelly. "So," he said, "it's down to this."

"Back to the way it always was," said Hiccup.

"Me," said Dagur, "against you."

"And may the best man win," said Hiccup.

The Berserkers charged, and Astrid, Fishlegs, Snotlout, and the twins, weapons raised, met them in battle.

…

Dagur's second team of Berserkers crept through the Edge, towards their assigned location. They stopped directly outside of the door, listening closely.

"This is it," said the leader of the second team to the rest of his men. "Draw your weapons. It's going to put up a fight."

The Berserkers drew their axes and crossbows and waited for the right moment. The first Berserker kicked the door open and raced inside, the rest of his men flanking him.

Ember whirled around and screeched. He spread his wings, preparing to fly off, but one bola thrown from another Berserker was all it took before his wings were pinned to his side, and he fell back to the ground once again.

Ember thrashed and screeched in terror.

Outside the residence, on a nearby cliff, two dark silhouettes of dragons raised their heads. They heard their hatchling's cries and instantly spread their wings and shot off in that direction, following the roars of their young one.

"Hello, Night Fury," the first Berserker said, lowering his crossbow. Ember thrashed all the harder against his bonds, but to no avail. "Easy does it…"

The Berserker stepped forward, towards him.

That was as far as he got before a gigantic purple blast like a firework knocked him off his feet and threw him against the wall.

Toothless, teeth unsheathed, eyes narrowed in dangerous fury, put himself between Ember and the Berserkers. The Berserkers who remained clutched their weapons tighter, eyes wide in horror.

"Dagur didn't say we'd have to deal with this one," one of them squeaked to their companion.

"The plan doesn't change," spat another Berserker. "Take them down!"

Toothless growled.

It was _on_.

…

"HICCUP! CATCH!" Snotlout shouted, yanking Hiccup's sword from the ground and throwing it over. Hiccup made a hasty parry with his knife before dropping it, catching his sword from the air, and meeting Dagur's next blow with his sword.

"Thanks, Snotlout!" Hiccup shouted back over his shoulder.

Snotlout saluted and charged towards the nearest Berserker. He moved quickly and knocked the Berserker clean out with the butt of his sword. Across from him, Astrid ran, leapt against the side of a tree, and used the momentum to knock an unsuspecting Berserker to the ground.

Ruffnut and Tuffnut were holding their own pretty well, too. While Tuffnut acted as a distraction, Ruffnut ran up behind the Berserker and knocked him clean out. The twins bashed heads together to celebrate their achievement before turning and repeating their battle strategy on the next Berserker they fought.

Fishlegs was in the background, triggering Ruffnut and Tuffnut's trap doors beneath the Berserkers' feet and sending them dropping through the ground, unable to help their fellows.

And of course, Hiccup took Dagur. Dagur was skilled with a dagger, and when one of his men threw him his axe, he fought all the better, but at the same time, Hiccup was skilled with a sword.

Dagur couldn't beat him.

"Call off your men, Dagur," Hiccup said, parrying with Dagur, their weapons clashing together. "Call them off now, and I'll withdraw the dragon riders."

"No can do, brother!" said Dagur, and he thrust his weapon forward; Hiccup knocked his axe back and stepped backwards, pausing momentarily to catch his breath.

But when Dagur struck another blow, Hiccup was forced to retaliate.

He had a backup plan himself, of course.

And it was time to put it in action.

"TOOTHLESS!" he shouted as loudly as he could.

…

The first of the Berserkers charged, and all it took was another plasma blast from Toothless to scare them off or throw them against the walls. Ember finally managed to wriggle himself from the bola, and when he did, he spat a small plasma blast against the nearest Berserker. Even though the blast was small and poorly aimed, the Berserker was blown off his feet and back out the door.

The other Berserkers began to approach…

But they didn't get far.

Two dark figures leapt from behind, growling and snarling like mad and attacking the Berserkers to the ground. Toothless stared at them, wondering what he was watching, while Ember looked on with slightly more enthusiasm.

The Berserkers who weren't unconscious got up and ran. Even with their weapons, they were no match against _four_ dragons. As soon as the Berserkers had gone, the two black dragons turned and looked at Toothless.

They had rings of purple scales around their eyes, and other scales around their front legs like bracelets. The edges of their wings were tinted purple.

Not Night Furies.

Ember raced forward excitedly with a squeal, towards the two dragons, and the two dragons roared in joy and embraced Ember, their wings wrapped tightly around him.

Toothless watched them, feeling slightly awkward. This meant...Ember wasn't really a Night Fury. He looked a bit like one, as did his parents, but now that Toothless saw Ember together with his parents, he realized.

One of the two Not-Night Furies lifted their head and approached Toothless steadily, staring at him with toxic green eyes. Toothless stared back, waiting for something.

The black and purple dragon bowed respectfully to him, and after a moment, Toothless bowed respectfully back.

Then, suddenly, a voice rang through Toothless' ears; the echo of a voice shouting his name.

A voice he recognized.

By the looks of it, Ember and his parents had heard the scream, too, because they looked up and out the door in question. Toothless instantly barreled past them, racing towards the forest, and the three dragons behind him quickly followed to investigate.


	8. Chapter 8

**GUYS, I MADE IT! I MADE IT! I FREAKING DRAGON SCALES _MADE IT!_ "The Fury of the Night" is not COMPLETED, and we can move up to the next story, which I can promise will be posted SOONER rather than LATER, as you know. ;) No shout-outs this chapter, unfortunately, but I love you all! :D Enjoy chapter 8! The final chapter! :D **

* * *

"We can't take them all, Hiccup, there's too many of them!" Astrid shouted as she parried with a Berserker and knocked him out with the flat of her axe. "We have to use the backup plan!"

"Agreed!" Hiccup shouted. "Everyone, call your dragons!"

The reaction was instant. Everyone shouted at the top of their lungs for their dragons; Snotlout for Hookfang, Fishlegs for Meatlug, Astrid for Stormfly, and the twins for Barf and Belch. Hiccup had already called Toothless; he was just awaiting the dragon's arrival.

But where was he?

In an instant, Hiccup received his answer. Stormfly, Hookfang, Meatlug, and Barf and Belch dropped in from the sky, landing atop several Berserkers and knocking them unconscious in the process. The Changewings and Night Terrors also joined the fight, the Changewings hiding out and spitting acid while the Night Terrors fluttered individually around the Berserkers.

Then, Toothless leapt from the shadows, putting himself between Hiccup and Dagur. Dagur, confidence once again wavering, stepped backwards at Toothless' warning growl.

"Nice dragon," said Dagur. "I don't want to hurt you."

Toothless roared at him in fury, teeth unsheathed. Before Dagur could respond, Ember shot down from the sky and landed beside Toothless. After Ember came Ember's mother and father, who dropped in from above, landing on either side of Toothless, eyes narrowed in unmasked rage at Dagur and his Berserkers.

"Oh..." said Dagur, looking from Ember's parents and then back to Ember. "So...not a Night Fury," he said flatly, catching his mistake. "I should look closer next time..."

The four dragons shot simultaneous plasma blasts, and Dagur leapt backwards. Hiccup, Astrid, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, Stormfly, Meatlug, Hookfang, and Barf and Belch stood behind Toothless and the other dragons, starring Dagur and his men down.

Dagur faltered.

"RETREAT!" he shouted, turning and charging back towards their ships. "RETREAT, MEN! RETREAT!"

And that was exactly what his men did: they turned tail and ran, back to the sand, back to their ships.

"WE WON!" Snotlout cheered, reaching over to slap Fishlegs on the shoulder. "I told you we would win! Yes! We win! We did it!"

"Yeah!" Tuffnut agreed. "We did it!"

A roar suddenly broke the silence, and it didn't come from one of their dragons. It came from the sky above, and when the others looked, they were just in time to see the outline of a familiar dragon silhouette against the moon before dive-bombing towards them.

"Is that...?" Fishlegs said quietly.

"The Death Song," said Hiccup. "I think it is." He looked ahead: Ember, Toothless, and the other two dragons stared back at him.

Fishlegs suddenly slapped his forehead. "OF COURSE!" he said so suddenly that everyone jumped. "You guys aren't Night Furies!" he said. "You're Arrow Furies! I should have known!"

"Wait a minute," said Snotlout. "What are Arrow Furies?"

"A mixed breed," said Fishlegs. "Bork mentioned them briefly in his notebook! The dragons are a rare breed of Night Fury and Odin's Nightmares, which are extinct. I should have known! Bork said they were mostly black, but with some purple, and that their plasma blasts were more purple than they were pink! And Bork also said..."

Fishlegs suddenly paled.

"Uh oh..."

"WHAT!?" shouted Snotlout furiously. "WE JUST FINISH FIGHTING A WAR AND THERE'S ANOTHER _UH OH!?"_

"The Arrow Furries are the favored prey of Death Songs," said Fishlegs lowly. "When they came looking for Ember, the Death Song must have followed them here, to the Edge!"

The Death Song above them swooped through the sky, heading straight towards them.

"Defensive formation!" Hiccup shouted, and the riders and dragons instantly did as he had instructed, weapons held out before them, dragons ready to fight.

As the Death Song swooped downwards, the first shot was fired, not by Hookfang, or Stormfly, or any of the other dragons, but by Ember, who was glaring furiously up at the Death Song. The Death Song roared and dove.

"NOW!" Hiccup shouted. "FIRE! Let's run it out of here!"

The dragons instantly fired upwards at the Death Song, not aiming to kill, but aiming to strike fear into the Death Song, in order to scare it into panicked retreat. The Death Song was resilient, and it spun and dove, but a plasma blast from Toothless forced it straight into the other dragons' line of fire. The Death Song was outnumbered.

It should never have come here.

It spread its butterfly-like wings and roared.

Ember and the other two Arrow Furies roared straight back at it and fired three plasma blasts. Each blast hit the Death Song, two on the wings, one on its head, and the Death Song, roaring in panic, spun and soared off, back to its home island, never to bother the Arrow Furies or the dragon riders ever again.

Snotlout swallowed hard. "So..." he said, " _now_ did we win?"

He didn't get his answer for a long while, the other riders too busy staring up at the sky as the Death Song vanished from sight.

Then, finally, Hiccup answered.

"Yes, Snotlout," he said. "I think we won."

...

The riders journeyed back to Arrow's Crevice the next day with Ember and his mother and father. Once the dragons had landed, it was time to say goodbye for the last time.

"So long, Ember," said Tuffnut, patting Ember's head. "I still wish you would have blown Ruffnut up, but it's okay that you didn't. It's hard to do the Thorson Ladder with just one Thorston."

Ember growled at him and nodded firmly. Toothless then stepped forward, and after a moment, Ember pressed his forehead against Toothless', and Toothless pressed his forehead back in silent goodbye. Ember's mother and father bowed respectfully, and Toothless and the other dragons bowed back, equally respectfully.

"The Death Song won't be bothering you guys any more," said Hiccup. "And if it does, you know where to find us."

The three dragons growled back at him in acknowledgment. The older Arrow Furies turned and began walking back towards their cave. Ember remained behind a little longer, pressed his forehead into Hiccup's palm, and then turned and bounded to catch up with his mother and father.

"I think we're done here," said Hiccup finally. "Come on, gang. Let's go home."

…

Later that evening found Toothless sitting in the loft of Hiccup's residence, staring sadly out the window at the dark sky. His ears twitched when Hiccup's uneven footsteps met his ears, and he looked out of the corner of his eye when Hiccup stepped up the last of the stairs and into the room.

"Hey, bud," Hiccup said. "How're you doing?"

Toothless growled and refocused his attention out the window. Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck. What to say...?

"I'm sorry we didn't find another Night Fury, bud," Hiccup finally said. "I know how badly you want to find someone like you...I kind of felt the same way growing up, like an outcast...a round peg in a square hole."

Toothless looked back at him.

"But you know, buddy," Hiccup said, "even though there's still no one exactly like me, I still have friends, family...and, well...maybe someday we _will_ find another Night Fury. Anything's possible."

Toothless still didn't turn, and when he didn't, Hiccup sighed, and he turned his back to head down the stairs again-

Toothless suddenly nudged him from behind so hard Hiccup nearly toppled down the stairs. He, after regaining his balance, turned around; Toothless licked his face, and Hiccup scowled.

"Okay, okay, bud, okay," Hiccup laughed, trying to shove Toothless back. "And until then, you still have me, right?"

Toothless crooned in agreement. Hiccup rested his forehead against Toothless' and shut his eyes.

"Well, thanks, Toothless," Hiccup said. "You'll always be like a brother to me."

Toothless shut his eyes and nodded in a silent way of saying, _Right back at you_.

…

Dagur stormed into Viggo's conference room, flanked by his Berserkers. Viggo looked up with a start. Decorating the entire side of Dagur's face was a large, black-purple-and-blue bruise, and the scowl Dagur was wearing was even uglier.

"Dagur," said Viggo. "Did everything go as planned?"

"Yeah, it went as planned, alright," grumbled Dagur. "They don't think you're in league with me anymore, and as far as they're concerned, I have no idea where Heather is. They're protecting the Dragon Eye like mad. They won't be leaving Dragon's Edge any time soon."

"Good," said Viggo, putting his hands together. "In that case, Dagur, my friend, would you like me to tell you what I plan next?"

Dagur nodded and waved a hand at his Berserkers; they, along with Viggo's other soldiers, filed out of the room and shut the door behind them.

Viggo leaned forward, and Dagur took up the seat across from him and did the same. "This plan of mine," said Viggo, "involves a certain _...prisoner_."

Dagur frowned. "If you hurt my sister-" he began threateningly.

"I have no reason to hurt your sister," said Viggo calmly. "However, she is a friend of the dragon riders. She can be useful to us."

"She will never betray Hiccup and the others," Dagur growled. "You know, she's ruining the family name. Berserkers are _never_ noble."

"She will betray Hiccup Haddock if she is bribed," said Viggo.

Dagur turned to look at him.

"Now, Dagur," said Viggo, "before I speak of my plans to you, I must make sure we are on the same page. You must promise, on your life, that you will never breathe a word of this to anyone...even your own men. And I, likewise, will make the same promise."

Dagur smiled. "I promise," he said. "I'll do anything to get rid of Hiccup and his stupid dragon riders."

Viggo smiled darkly. "Then I am proud to say," he said, "that we are indeed on the same page, Dagur the Deranged."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So that's the end of it! I know, right? Crazy ending. I'm evil. WHAT IS VIGGO PLANNING AND WHAT DO DAGUR AND HEATHER HAVE TO DO WITH IT!?**

 **Stay tuned, my beautiful readers, for you shall discover these reasons...SOON. Probably not as soon as you would have hoped, but soon enough. ;)**

 **Anyways, until next story, I'm going to leave you all with this little episode to chew on. Let me know what you think of it. :)**

 **Oh, and just so you know, there is no "Arrow Crevice" in canon, nor is there an "Odin's Nightmare" dragon or an "Arrow Fury." These are things I came up with for this particular story. :)**

 **Thanks, everyone! See you soon! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


End file.
